This 1991 Ford Explorer Retro Video Review Will Make Your Day

There’s a saying that goes, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” But based on this MotorWeek retro video review of the 1991 Ford Explorer, we can’t appreciate what we have now, until we see what we lacked before.

As someone that is outrageously lucky to test new cars for a living, it’s videos like this one that help me understand how highly-evolved vehicles are nowadays. For starters, hearing the iconic John Davis is quite a treat, but hearing him trying to explain the SUV movement that began in the early nineties is downright hilarious. Davis goes on to talk about rollover risks in SUVs, how the Jeep Cherokee has long ruled the segment, and what most people can expect from this weird and boxy concept called sports utility vehicle.

Some of the highlights of the 1991 Explorer Eddie Bauer are, the pop-up rear glass hatch, power and manual seats, and a 190 watt JBL sound system, which if you’re younger than 30 years old, it looks downright prehistoric. Oh, and the comment about the Explorer sporting instrument gauges worthy of a Ford Mustang GT made me laugh harder than I should admit.

The ported and fuel injected 4.0 liter V6 engine produced a measly 150 horsepower, and was paired to a 4 speed automatic transmission or a 5 speed manual. Together, they allowed the Explorer to achieve a 0 – 60 mph time of 9.9 seconds, which MotorWeek thought was rather excellent!